Interpretive Biography (Qualitative Research Methods)

Like all writing, biographies are interpretive. They require no less than organizing into text the chaos of human existence. In Interpretive Biography Denzin combines one of the oldest techniques in the social sciences and humanities with one of the newest. Bringing in elements of postmodernism and interpretive social science, he reexamines the biographical and autobiographical genres. In addition, the book discusses inherent weaknesses in traditional biographical forms, and outlines a new way in which biographies should be conceptualized and shaped. With many examples from his own work and those of past biographies, Denzin's volume makes provocative reading for all social scientists.